Armed forces personnel, total in Spain
Spain: Armed forces personnel, total was 199,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Spain, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Spain stood at 199,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Spain peaked at 320,000 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 196,000, in 2017.
That places Spain 32nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 320,000 | — |
| 1989 | 277,000 | -13.4% |
| 1990 | 263,000 | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 246,000 | -6.5% |
| 1992 | 198,000 | -19.5% |
| 1993 | 204,000 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 213,000 | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 281,600 | +32.2% |
| 1996 | 282,300 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 273,250 | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 269,710 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 262,260 | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 241,800 | -7.8% |
| 2001 | 214,700 | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 251,200 | +17.0% |
| 2003 | 224,000 | -10.8% |
| 2004 | 220,000 | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 220,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 222,000 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 222,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 223,000 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 222,422 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 223,216 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 215,700 | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 215,600 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 213,950 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 200,000 | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 199,950 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 197,950 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 196,000 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 196,350 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 199,000 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 199,000 | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 199,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 8.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Spain's 199,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 7.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Spain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +32.2% | 213,000 | 281,600 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 298,500 | 277,000 | 320,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 249,312 | 198,000 | 282,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 226,112 | 214,700 | 251,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 205,772 | 196,000 | 223,216 | 10 |
| 2020s | 199,000 | 199,000 | 199,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
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Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Spain?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Spain was 199,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 320,000 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 196,000 in 2017.
- How does Spain rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Spain ranks 32nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.